Hacking: Former 'News of the World' Staffer Gets Suspended Sentence

LONDON – ‎The judge in the phone-hacking trial here on Thursday sentenced a former News of the World staffer who had cooperated with the prosecution and testified in the trial to a suspended sentence of 10 months.‎

He will have to do 200 hours of unpaid community work, the judge said in his sentencing remarks.‎

Dan Evans got the suspended sentence because he had admitted to listening to more than 1,000 hacked voicemail messages, according to The Guardian. The judge on Thursday also highlighted his "unique" role in providing evidence in the hacking trial.‎

The prosecution in the phone-hacking trial recently said it would pursue a re-trial of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson and former royal editor Clive Goodman on two bribery counts after the hacking trial jury failed to reach a verdict on these charges.

Coulson was recently found guilty of conspiring to hack phones and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Evans' were "serious offenses, which merit cumulatively a significant sentence of imprisonment," the judge said in his sentencing remarks. "The mitigation in this case is that Mr. Evans not only pleaded guilty to these offenses at the first opportunity, but has assisted the prosecution by making statements and agreeing to give evidence for the prosecution. He has already given evidence in the trial that has just finished and may be required to give evidence in future trials."